


Spiked

by Zorro_sci



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Science Boyfriends, Warning for involuntary drug use, drugged!Tony - Freeform, hurt!bruce, warning for violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-08-14
Packaged: 2018-02-12 16:58:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2117721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zorro_sci/pseuds/Zorro_sci
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony's drink gets spiked at a charity event.  He returns home and acts very out of character.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Monster

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ME](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=ME).



> This is the second idea spawned by me's prompt.

Bruce Banner stretched and looked at the clock. Two in the morning. He had been working in the lab for seventeen hours straight. He should probably go to bed. Besides, his research seemed to have hit a dead end anyway. Maybe if he gave it a fresh look after some sleep he would see where he was going wrong.

With that in mind, he took the elevator up to the penthouse, wondering if Tony would be home yet. He had left to attend a charity benefit earlier in the night. While Bruce imagined that the event would probably end before two in the morning, there really was no telling what would happen when rich people and large amounts of alcohol became involved. That was one thing he had learned from the few times he had accompanied his boyfriend to similar events. It was also the main reason he avoided attending the galas and charity fundraiser dinners as often as he was able.

The doors opened on the living room of the large apartment and he immediately spied Tony on the couch. He was still in his tuxedo, sitting seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. As Bruce got closer he also noticed that the billionaire was flush and sweating.

"Tony, are you alright?" he asked in concern.

"Stay away," Tony said firmly.

Bruce stopped, but one look at the odd expression on Tony's face told him that something wasn't right.

"Something's wrong. What happened?" he implored.

"Right, like a monster cares about me. Leave me alone," the other man answered.

Bruce felt himself flinch at the word 'monster,' but his concern for Tony outweighed the hurt that his words caused.

"Tony, you're flushed and sweating. I'm worried."

Bruce spoke calmly and slowly advanced on the other man with his palms held up and out in front of him to show he meant no harm.

"I'm just going to check to see if you have a fever," he said calmly as he slowly reached out a hand to rest it on Tony's forehead.

Tony reached out and grabbed Bruce by the wrist, and then twisted his arm with surprising force. 

"Don't touch me! I told you to stay away, monster! But you just wouldn't listen would you?!?" he said viciously.

He pulled back and loosed a wild fist at Bruce's face. The blow was so sudden that Bruce didn't have any time to block or dodge it, and pain bloomed on his left cheek. The Hulk took notice of the sudden burst of pain and started fighting for control. Bruce shoved him back down. No matter what was happening, he didn't want the Other Guy to hurt Tony.

He took a step away from Tony, but the billionaire kicked out a leg and made contact with Bruce's shin. The physicist hobbled back another step, but he was off balance and Tony took full advantage and tackled him to the ground. He climbed on top of the startled doctor, and rained blows down on his head and chest.

The blows were sloppy and Bruce was able to avoid most of them, but they came fast and furious, so a few did manage to connect. He started seeing green at the edge of his vision, and concentrated on calming down. This was Tony, he had to find a way to stop him that didn't involve smashing. 

He waited for his moment, and then reached up to pin Tony's arms to his sides and roll them so that their positions were reversed all in one fluid movement. Tony didn't react well to being pinned, so in a quick burst of strength, he head-butted Bruce in the face. The impact broke the doctor's nose and made a small river of blood start to flow from it.

The shock and pain of the attack, and his desire to keep his radioactive blood away from Tony, caused Bruce to reel back and then scramble backward across the floor. He hoped that the other man would leave him alone, but he didn't. He stood and pursued the crab-walking doctor, stepping down hard on his side once he reached him.

Bruce fell flat on his back and cried out in pain as the sound of ribs breaking filled the air.

"Tony! Please stop!" he pleaded, once again fighting to keep down the Other Guy.

Tony removed his foot, and for a second Bruce thought he was going to listen, but then he brought it down heavily on his wrist and rolled his foot forward. A loud _crack!_ and _crunch!_ rang out as Bruce let out a scream.

"Please! Stop!" he gasped, tears in his eyes as pain jolted through his arm and caused him to have to wrestle internally with the Hulk again.

"Serves you right monster! Now leave! Leave me alone!" Tony yelled.

He crossed the room and grabbed several glass tumblers and started launching them like small missiles at Bruce's cowering form. The first one flew past his head, missing by nearly a foot. The next one was short and shattered near his feet. The third one hit its mark, exploding into dangerous shards upon impact with his right shoulder. 

As a fourth tumbler collided with Bruce's forearms, (the only thing keeping it from hitting his face), he decided that his best option was to get out of the apartment. So while Tony reached for a fifth glass projectile, his boyfriend scurried across the floor, pressed the elevator button, and slid inside the small sanctuary. The doctor let out a held breath as the doors slid shut, a glass breaking on the other side.

Finally out of the line of fire, and no longer at risk of losing control, Bruce sunk to the floor and held his head in his hands. He just couldn't make sense of what had just happened. His boyfriend had never struck him before, much less tried to beat him. It all just seemed so wrong.


	2. First Aid

"JARVIS, what just happened?" Bruce asked, feeling lost.

"I'm not entirely sure Dr. Banner, but Sir has been acting strangely since he returned. He got lost on his way to the elevator. He appeared to be in a daze when he returned to the penthouse, and on a couple of occasions he seems to have responded to things that were not actually there," the AI answered.

"Hallucinations? And he was flushed and sweating . . . .JARVIS, is it possible he was drugged?" Bruce asked in concern.

"The data from the arc reactor that shows that Sir's pulse and blood pressure have been elevated for the last four hours seems to support your hypothesis," JARVIS concurred.

"Elevated to dangerous levels?" Bruce inquired worriedly.

The AI seemed to pause to calculate and then responded, "No, his vitals remain close enough to the high range of normal that it is unlikely he will need intervention."

"Let me know if that changes," he instructed, suddenly aware of his own need for medical attention.

"Of course, Dr. Banner," replied the mechanical voice.

Bruce took the elevator down to his lab, and made his way over to the corner he used as a make-shift infirmary. On the way he caught his reflection on the back of one of the shiny, metal machines, but hardly recognized it as his own. Both his eyes were blackened from the impact of the headbutt, and several other angry bruises were blooming on his cheeks and jaw. His nose was slightly out of place from being broken, and his face was bloodied from both his broken nose and his split lip.

He gathered the necessary supplied from his medical kit and headed to the sink to get started. First, he washed his hands and his face and re-set the broken bone in his nose. The action was painful, but thankfully the pain subsided quickly. Then he placed a butterfly strip bandage over the bridge of his nose to help keep it in place. Thankfully the bleeding had finally stopped so he didn't need to do anything further.

Looking at his split lip, he decided that the cut was deep enough that stitches were probably a good idea. Using the mirror above the sink to guide him, he carefully use two small sutures to close the cut.

Satisfied that he had done as much as he could with his facial injuries, Bruce removed his shirt to deal with the next set of injuries. His right shoulder was bloody from cuts caused by the sharp glass of the tumbler, and one look at the wound showed there were still glass shards within it. Awkwardly, he used a pair of tweezers to remove the sharp pieces while he did his best to irrigate the cuts, (which was far from easy. He needed to use his left hand, broken wrist and all, to handle the tweezers, and his right hand to irrigate the wound so he was able to see, but moving his right hand jarred the shoulder and made the lacerations bleed all the more). When he was sure he had removed all the glass from his shoulder, he covered the bloody gashes with gauze and used a bandage to secure it tightly in place. 

He splinted his wrist with a small sturdy board, and then inspected his arms. He found that while they had bruised from the impact of the tumbler, they were otherwise fine as that glass hadn't broken until it had hit the floor after bouncing off of his forearms. 

That left one thing. He experimentally drew a couple slow, deep breaths. It hurt quite a bit, but his chest was rising and falling as it should. No part of it was moving in contrary motion to the rest, and both sides were expanding equally. Satisfied that there were no serious complications from his broken ribs, he grabbed a long bandage and carefully wrapped his chest. He worked with sured, trained hands, making sure to wind the cloth tight enough to provide support, but not so tight that it hindered his breathing.

Convinced that he had done everything that he could, he washed his hands once more, and left the lab. He stopped short outside of the lab door. Where should he go? If he returned to the penthouse would it start another confrontation with a drug-addled Tony? If he went to the common floor and someone saw his battered appearance, what would he say? Should he hide in the lab, even though he was likely to get sucked back into his research despite his exhaustion? There didn't really seem to be any good options.


	3. Asleep

He decided to take his chances with Tony. If the billionaire still seemed agitated he could leave, but if he had really been drugged he might need help, and Bruce wanted to be nearby just in case. He took the elevator back up, and watched nervously as the doors opened on his living room.

He wasn't quite sure what he was expecting to see, but Tony sleeping on the couch hadn't really registered as a possibility. It probably should have. If he had been drugged, he would have to come down some time. 

Carefully, he approached the sleeping figure. Tony's breathing was shallower and quicker than it should have been in sleep, but he was truly asleep. He was still flushed, and a sheen of sweat was still visible on his forehead, and that caused Bruce to gently reach out to touch Tony's cheek.

His skin was warmer than usually, but not hot, and slightly damp from the sweat. Bruce moved to grab Tony's wrist and found his pulse. He counted the beats, and while he found the rate was still slightly elevated, especially for sleep, it was not so fast that there was cause of concern.

With his worry largely calmed, but still far from gone, he settled himself in an arm chair. He could sleep later.


	4. Aware

"Bruce? Bruce?" Tony called, his voice sounding confused and almost frightened.

"I'm in the kitchen," his boyfriend called from the other room.

"Thank God you're here," he cried in relief as he sat up on the couch. "I had some horrible Scotch at that thing I went to, and I'm starting to think it might have had something in it. It didn't taste right. 

At first I thought it was just cheap, but then things started to go a little fuzzy. I remember asking Happy to take me home, but I don't remember anything after that . . . . Well, other than that I had a horrible nightmare. 

I was being attacked by a big, yellow monster. It wouldn't leave me alone. I tried to get away, but it kept following me. Then, all of the sudden you were there . . . and you were cowering on the floor and it looked like someone had beaten you."

The last part came out as a whisper as Bruce walked into the room carrying a steaming mug of tea. Tony's eyes darted over the bruises on Bruce's face, the splint on his wrist, the blood on his yellow shirt, (which it now occurred to Bruce he should have changed), and then grew wide with horror.

"It wasn't a dream, was it?" Tony whispered in horror.

"No. Well, not all of it," Bruce said gently.

"But how . . . .? The yellow monster . . . That was you . . . . I did that to you," the billionaire said mournfully as the pieces fell into place.

"You couldn't help it," Bruce consoled.

"'Couldn't help it?!?' I couldn't not assault you?!? I had no control over my fists; no control over my body?!? How could you excuse my behavior? I beat you!" Tony cried hysterically.

"You were drugged. You were disconnected from reality and hallucinating. I think it's safe to say that any decisions you made during that time weren't really your own," the other man tried to calm him with one hand held up with the palm out in a placating gesture.

"That's no excuse! How badly did I hurt you? I remember . . . I remember . . . Trying to kill the monster . . . . And throwing rocks at it . . . Bruce, what did I do to you?" he said, his voice getting weaker and weaker until it dissolved into sobs.

"I'm okay," Bruce reassured, as he wrapped his sobbing boyfriend in a hug.

Tony tightly returned the hug, and Bruce involuntarily winced and drew in a sharp breath as the other man's arms put pressure on his broken ribs.

Tony pulled back from the hug, his expression pained and lost, "You're lying. What did I do to you?"

Bruce made no attempt to answer him, he just re-enveloped him in a hug and rubbed his back in an attempt to calm him.

"Bruce?" he asked, pulling back again, his tone sharper but also more desperate.

His boyfriend made no attempt to hug him again, but also made no moves to answer him.

"I need to know," he said firmly, and waited a few minutes longer before changing his focus, "J, roll security footage of what happened."

"Sir, I . . ." 

"Now!" Tony barked.

The TV screen lit up with black and white footage of Bruce returning to the penthouse from the lab earlier that morning. The pair watched as Bruce slowly approached Tony and then had his arm twisted painfully when he attempted to touch him. Tony gasped, and Bruce turned away and refused to watch the rest.


	5. Can't Chance It

"Bruce, I . . . . I . . . ." Tony said brokenly after he had finished watching the footage.

He was disgusted at what he had seen. He'd done terrible things to Bruce. He could hardly believe it. It all seemed so unreal. He had broken Bruce's bones. He had made him bleed. That was unforgivable. 

"Tony, I forgive you. I know you weren't yourself," Bruce answered gently, trying to meet Tony's eyes with his.

Bruce's eyes were so soft, so kind, so understanding. It made Tony that much angrier at himself. He broke the eye contact and stared hard at the floor. He didn't deserve Bruce's forgiveness, and the very fact that he was so willing to offer it highlighted that fact. He was too kind. Too good for Tony. He responded to a blatant attack without the slightest hint of anger. Some rage monster . . .wait . . . .

"Bruce, why didn't you Hulk out?" Tony asked urgently.

"What?" Bruce returned in surprise, (he had been hoping to avoid this question).

"You were being attacked. I hurt you. Repeatedly. You were being physically threatened and Mean Green didn't show up. . . . Why not?" he clarified.

Bruce looked at the floor, and Tony shook his head sadly.

"You wouldn't let yourself, would you? I hurt you time after time, and you wouldn't let Hulk protect you. You were afraid he would hurt me," Tony said; guilt dripping off his voice.

"I couldn't chance it," Bruce whispered.

"I'm beginning to think I can't chance us," the billionaire responded sadly. "You let me break your ribs. I could have punctured your lung . . . I could have torn your aorta or even punctured your heart . . . I could have killed you!

Hulk is supposed to protect you from that, and you wouldn't let him . . . Because of me. I put you in danger, and I can't . . . I can't be the thing that puts you in danger. I won't. I love you too much to be the reason you get hurt. I won't be the one who hurts you again. 

I make you too vulnerable. I don't think this will work."

Tony ran from the living room sobbing, leaving a very confused and hurt Bruce behind.


	6. Mights, Maybes and What Ifs

Tony wept bitterly into his hands. He was doing the right thing he told himself. Bruce wasn't safe with him, and as much as it hurt, this would protect him. He couldn't take a chance with Bruce's life.

He was still trying to convince himself that he was doing what needed to be done, when Bruce burst into the bedroom.

"This is bullshit, Tony," he said angrily. "You don't get to end us because you feel a little guilty. If you don't love me, or you've moved on . .fine . . .but you don't get to say that you love me and then leave me 'for my own good,' because that's bullshit.

When we started dating you said that I couldn't use my fear of the Other Guy hurting you as a reason not to be with you. Well, you can't use your fear of the Other Guy not stopping you from hurting me as a reason not to be with me either!"

"Bruce . . . "

"No! Have you forgotten what you said back then? Don't you remember how terrified I was? I told you that I couldn't be the one to hurt you, so I couldn't be with you. But you assured me that the chances of me losing control were slim, and that even if I did I wouldn't hurt you because Hulk liked you. You said I couldn't let mights, maybes, and what ifs stop me from being happy.

Well, now the situation is reversed. Tony, you had your drink spiked and you temporarily lost touch with reality. It's very unlikely that will ever happen again. I'll even go with you to all of your damn charities and fundraisers to help make sure it doesn't, if that would make you feel better. 

The point is, you weren't yourself. That's the only reason you hurt me. I know you would never hurt me under any other circumstances, so the chances of you ever hurting me again are slim to none. And if it makes you feel any better, I doubt I would be able to hold back the Other Guy if you ever hurt me so badly it could be fatal . . . But that's beside the point.

What I'm saying is, don't let mights, maybes and what ifs stop you from being happy. Don't let this one anomaly ruin us."

"Bruce, it's different. You've never hurt me, or even _tried_ to hurt me. I _**did**_ hurt you! It's not a question of if it could happen, because it already has," Tony argued.

"Once! Once, under extreme circumstances!" Bruce countered.

"I can't, Bruce. I can't stop seeing what I did to you. I can't stop thinking about what I could have done. I just can't," he said sadly.

"You're going to let one strange night stop us from being happy?!?" Bruce said incredulously.

"Who said we're happy?" Tony shot back.

He knew it was a cruel thing to say, but Bruce wasn't listening. Maybe now he would.

His plan seemed to have worked, because Bruce didn't respond immediately. Instead his face changed from angry and determined to shocked and utterly broken. The resignation and hurt in his eyes hit Tony straight in the gut, and he was almost ready to take it back when Bruce nodded solemnly and opened his mouth to speak.

"I was wrong. I guess it wouldn't be that hard for you to hurt me again, because you just did. Don't worry, I'll leave before I make you anymore miserable," he said as he walked out of the room.


	7. Lucky

"Bruce?" Tony called into the lab. "Bruce? Come on, I know you're in there. JARVIS told me. Don't hide from me."

"What do you want, Tony? I thought we were finished. I know I haven't left yet, but I'll pack my stuff as soon as you go to work. I'd rather do it when I was alone," Bruce said flatly from his spot on the floor behind the lab couch.

His face was wet, and blotched with red between the bruises. He tried to dry his eyes with the back of his hand, but winced as he bumped his nose with the hasty motion. Tony winced in sympathy.

"I actually came to apologize. I'm really sorry, Bruce; for everything. I'm sorry I attacked you . . I know I was drugged and I didn't know what I was doing . . But I still did it, and I'm sorry. 

I'm also sorry I overreacted. You pretty much never get hurt, so seeing you hurt, and knowing I did it, well, it really scared me. It scared me so much I didn't know what to do. 

Still, I never should have implied I wasn't happy with you, because no one, and nothing, makes me happier than you do. Of all the things I did tonight, I'm most sorry for that," he said sincerely.

Bruce studied his face and seemed to contemplate his words. He sat silently, while he apparently ruminated over what was just said. Then, just like he had not an hour earlier, he nodded slowly, but this time he didn't say anything.

"Please accept my apology, Bruce. . .and please don't move to India, or wherever else you were planning to go," he added after the silence had stretched nearly two minutes.

"Okay," the other man said simply.

"Okay, you accept my apology, or okay you won't move to India?" Tony clarified.

"Okay, I accept your apology," he said, then he paused and added. "And I won't move to India."

Tony looked relieved and let out a sigh that mirrored his look.

"I'm glad," he said softly as he hugged Bruce like he was made of glass to avoid hurting his ribs. 

"For future reference, if you don't want me to move to India, you probably shouldn't say things to try to push me away," Bruce whispered, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Noted," Tony replied with a weak grin.

He stood and held out a hand for Bruce. The physicist took the offer, and used the outstretched hand to help haul himself up.

"JARVIS also told me you haven't slept in more than twenty-four hours," Tony remarked as he headed for the door with Bruce in tow. "So . . . Bed, now. That's an order, Banner."

"Is it now?" Bruce questioned with a raised eyebrow as he allowed himself to be herded into the elevator.

"Yes," the other man returned.

"Hmm . . . Maybe I should have left. What did I get myself into?" the physicist joked with a tired smirk.

"A happy relationship with a boyfriend who's going to take care of you. That's what," Tony answered with a grin.

"Huh. That sounds pretty good," he said with mock deliberation in his voice.

He leaned in to kiss Tony, but the other man avoided his injured lip, and instead planted a quick kiss on his forehead.

"None of that until your stitches heal," Tony commented.

Bruce pouted, (which pulled on his stitches a little and made him flinch ever-so-slightly), and Tony chuckled softly.

"See? That's why," he said as the elevator doors opened. "Now . . Bed!"

Bruce complied, and made his way to their bedroom. He stripped to his boxers with some help from Tony, (who tried not to wince when he saw the bruising and bandages on Bruce's torso and arms), and then climbed into their bed. Tony climb in next to him, and turned onto his side to look at the other man.

"Sleep now, Brucie," he urged and he reached out to card his fingers through Bruce's dark, curly locks.

Bruce leaned into the touch and relaxed, so Tony kept running his hand gently through the physicist's hair until soft snores were escaping his partially open lips. 

He watched his boyfriend sleep, keeping guard over him. He didn't know what he was guarding him from, just that he felt an intense need to protect him. Maybe it was because Bruce was hurt, maybe it was because he still felt a stab of guilt every time he saw the injuries he had caused, or maybe it was because he was still feeling raw from the emotional roller coaster ride that the last few hours had been. Whatever the reason, he kept his post by Bruce's side until his boyfriend awoke several hours later, and the whole time he thought about just how lucky he was to have Bruce in his life.


End file.
